


It's Showtime!

by Jasnah (Teia)



Category: Magic Kaitou, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Hurt, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-15
Updated: 2013-07-17
Packaged: 2017-12-20 07:35:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 50
Words: 12,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/884657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teia/pseuds/Jasnah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ladies and Gentlemen ... It's Showtime! A collection of drabbles and snippets about Kuroba Kaito/Kaitou Kid, inspired by 1sentence on LiveJournal, gamma theme set. Contains a bizarre mixture of crack humor, romance, bromance, friendship, fluff and deathly serious angst. Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. # 13: View

Kaito felt that familiar tingling in his neck, the tingling he always felt when someone observed him. He heard a startled gasp and turned around.  
"Shinichi?"  
Mori-san stared at him (unbelievingly).  
Tantei-kun stared at him (suspiciously).  
Tantei-kun's minions stared at him (curiously).  
With a gleeful squeal Aoko crouched down, grabbed Tantei-kun, and hugged him. The wary expression on his rival's face gave way to sheer terror, and Kaito struggled to stifle a laugh. At least until Aoko ruined his good mood saying: "Look, Kaito, this little boy looks like you as a child with straight hair - only more intelligent!"


	2. # 48: Unknown

Aoko couldn't help shrieking a little when Kaito appeared behind her all of a sudden to wrap a piece of clothing – probably a scarf – around her head.  
"Kaito, what-"  
"Shhhh!" His low whisper silenced her immediately – and blew all of her coherent thoughts out of the window. "I wanna show you something, Aoko."  
"What?" Was her voice trembling? Yes, it was. Damn him!  
"Secret." She could downright _feel_ that bastard's smirk through the scarf covering her eyes. "Do you trust me?"  
Well, to be honest, she wasn't sure.  
"... Fine," she huffed, torn between excitement, anxiety and annoyance. "But I'll beat you to a pulp if that's one of your stupid jokes!"  
"Sure." She could feel his grin widening before he took her hand to lead her through the garden.  
Her anxiety grew with every blind step, but she didn't miss how careful he guarded her; she never tripped, and wow, did his hands always felt that strong and reliable?  
After several short, endless seconds, he stopped.  
"Already there. You're ready?"  
No, yes, no!  
Kaito loosened the scarf. Aoko blinked ... and felt her heart melting away.  
There, in a nest in a tree trunk, sat two tiny little baby doves.


	3. # 17: Promise

The door flew open and Aoko stormed in. Her hair was disheveled; her face was tear-stained and heated.  
"I forgive you!"  
Kaito stared at her, bug-eyed. "What?"  
"I forgive you, baka!" She rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He returned the hug almost automatically.  
"Just promise that you'll never lie to me again!"  
"O-okay."  
"Good. And now ..." She leaned forward to whisper something in his ear: "Fish."  
He froze, petrified with horror. She grinned mischievously.  
"Now shut up and bear your punishment like a man! Fish. Fish. Fish. Fish. Fish. Fish ..."


	4. # 15: Silk

Clothes shopping with Kaito was ... kinda weird.  
She knew from other couples that clothes shopping always was problematic. It almost seemed to be a natural law like it seemed impossible for Kudo-kun to survive a week without running into a corpse. Or like it seemed impossible for Hakuba-kun to survive a minute without his pocket watch.  
But the problems she had to deal with when she went clothes shopping with Kaito were very different from the problems normal couples had. She wouldn't say that she was totally dumb in the matter of beauty and fashion, but it was an infuriating fact that Kaito knew much more about it than her, being a disguise artist since childhood. He knew which colors suited her best, he knew which make up would emphasize her features without looking too flashy, he even knew how to walk gracefully on stilettos while she couldn't withstand ten steps with them.  
It really was infuriating, but after a while she just resigned and let Kaito choose the clothes for her. That worked out well until he decided to pick her underwear, too.

"Kaito, no!"  
"But-"  
"No! Just no!"  
"Why?"  
"It's a thong!"  
"What's your problem with thongs?"  
"I don't like them!"  
"Ah, Aoko, you're just shy and inexperienced-"  
"Shut up! I won't discuss with you here, I said no and that's it!"  
"Why don't you just try it? Come on, do it for me~"  
"No, and- holy shit! That's the price?"  
"Well, it's silk. Silk isn't cheap."  
"Another reason not to buy it. We don't have enough money ... and don't look like that!"  
"Oi, I didn't plan to steal it, if you thought that!"  
"Then what did you plan?"  
"Going to a casino and winning enough money to buy the thong ... and a fitting dress."


	5. # 16: Cover

When the detectives called for help to solve a certain case he'd expected many things, but not _that._  
"We need you to teach Sera-san how to act and dress up like a ... err ... womanly woman," Hakuba explained. "She's going to play the bait for that new serial rapist. Since your girlfriends and Suzuki-san are on a trip this weekend and nobody wanted to ask Haibara-san or Akako-san for advice, you were the next logical choice. Do you think you can do it?"  
Kaito glanced in Sera's direction and grinned. "Challenge accepted."

Some hours, discussions, punches, kicks and mental breakdowns later, he buried his face in his hands and sighed. "Alright, alright, I give up! You heard me? I give up! It's just impossible to turn that tomboy into a woman!"  
"But we need a bait before-"  
"Fine, I'll do it," Kaito snapped.  
He heard a faint click and stifled laughter.  
"Seven hours, 54 minutes, 36 seconds and 23 milliseconds," Hakuba said. He sounded obnoxiously pleased.  
"Damn ya," Hattori cursed. "So close!"  
Kaito blinked, confused. "What the hell? What's going on?"  
Kudo smirked. "They made a bet about how long it'll take for you to throw in the towel."


	6. # 29: Dance

"Alright," Kaito whispered. "You'll create a diversion and I'll slip past the villains, open the safe and get the microchip. Easy and efficient."  
"Good idea- hey! Why do I have to be the diversion? That's your turf!"  
"Normally, yes, but you can't handle the safe, so there's no other option left. Come on, it's not _that_ difficult! Just use your fantasy!"  
Kudo huffed to express his annoyance. "What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?"  
Kaito beamed. "I would've suggested singing, but that's even better! There you go!"  
He put Kudo in an appropriate outfit, coconut bra and flower garland inclusive, before the guy got any opportunity to protest or change his mind, and shoved him into the corridor.  
Gin blinked. Vodka blinked. Kudo blinked. Then he started dancing.

"Oi, Kuroba," Kudo asked later, when the mission was accomplished, „is it _common_ for you to carry along a hula dress when we solve cases, or was it just a big coincidence?"  
"I doubt that you really want to know the answer, Meitantei. What about you - where did you learn the hula dance?"  
"Hawaii, of course. Seriously, that's the dumbest question I've ever heard!"


	7. # 22: Journey

If someone had told him nine months ago that he would attend a Sherlock Holmes fan meeting one day – accompanied by three detectives and absolutely voluntarily – he would not have believed the poor guy (and probably played a nasty prank on him).  
But now he sat in a car, on the way to said Sherlock Holmes fan meeting, together with Kudo Shinichi, Hattori Heiji and Hakuba Saguru of all people.  
He had agreed to come along mainly because of three reasons. First, Hattori wasn't a Holmes freak either, so there was at least one normal person he could talk with. Second, it was utterly amusing to watch Kudo switching into his fanboy mode. Third, it was always amusing to tease Hakuba – which he was going to do _right now_.  
"Oi, Hakuba." He leaned forward to talk to the Brit sitting right in front of him on the passenger seat. "How long will it take until we get there?"  
Hakuba, thoroughly unsuspecting, consulted his beloved pocketwatch. "The drive takes two hours and 10 to 20 minutes empirically. Since we started an hour and 14 minutes ago, there's still about one hour travel time."  
"Hmh, thanks!" Kaito leaned back and started a negligible dialogue with Hattori. About 10 minutes later, he asked: "Hakuba, how much longer?"  
Hakuba answered, still guileless, but Hattori must have seen the mischievous glint in Kaito's eyes, for he started grinning. Judging by the dangerous all-knowing smirk Kudo sent him through the driving mirror, he saw through him too.  
Another ten minutes later Hattori asked "Oi, Hakuba, how much longer?" and Hakuba, finally smelling the plot, stiffened. Kaito snickered inwardly. Hakuba had two options now: refusing to answer (and thereby admitting his indignation) or answering (and thereby making himself a target). Both options were a lose situation. As expected, Hakuba chose the second: "Well, Hattori-kun, as much as an elementary school student with average intelligence could compute, it will take about 40 minutes from now."  
Kaito snickered outwardly now, while Hattori rolled his eyes and Hakuba tried to keep his composure.  
Again, Kaito waited some minutes, then opened his mouth with intent to continue the game, but Kudo butted in saying: "Oi, stop that, will you? You behave like kids, no pun intended!"  
Hakuba relaxed almost imperceptibly, but Kudo wasn't done. "By the way, Hakuba …" He made a pregnant pause for drama llama. "… how much longer?"


	8. # 47: Highway

When their car's engine flooded, Kudo-kun's first words were: „It's not my fault!"  
Nobody answered, but the silence that followed his statement spoke volumes.  
Saguru was not sure whether to feel amused or annoyed. Really, Kudo-kun was the worst trouble magnet he knew. But wait, that was incorrect: Kuroba-kun was the worst trouble magnet he knew. Kudo-kun, however, was the worst bad luck magnet he knew. That's why he had been very relieved when they had made it through the whole Holmes fan meeting without any killings, bombings and hostage-takings. Actually, a dying car in the middle of nowhere was rather harmless compared to all the other incidents he had experienced with Kudo-kun, so maybe he should just be grateful.  
He heard the soft rustle of clothes and a low snort. "Surprise, surprise, guys!" Kuroba-kun said with mocking amusement. "No connection!" He waved his mobile to emphasize the sentence.  
"Not my fault either!" Kudo-kun asserted quickly.  
Hattori-kun facepalmed.

Well, then. A dying car in the middle of nowhere without any means to call for help, was it. They still had their walkie-talkies, but the chance to reach anyone via radio was nearly nonexistent.  
"Okay." Kuroba-kun slipped out of the car, stretching in a way that would have broken every normal human's spine. "The next highway is five kilometers away. Looks like we have to hitch a ride. … At least we have chocolate."

Another car passed them. And another. And another. Japan was well-known for its friendliness, but today's drivers seemed to be unaware of that.  
"Damn those fuckers!" Hattori-kun cursed. "I swear I'm gonna throw a rock after the next asshole that ignores us!"  
"Don't!" Saguru knew it was just an empty thread, but he couldn't help responding. "Like I know Kudo-kun's luck, this would only result in a car crash with corpses."  
Kudo-kun deadpanned at him, but his other two companions snickered.  
And then they got passed by another car. "This won't do," Kuroba-kun said eventually. "We have to change our tactics."  
"Oh yeah? Wadda ya suggestin'?"  
Kuroba-kun grinned like a loon, then made an odd hand movement. "Sexy Jutsu!" A flash of smoke and in the blink of an eye he looked like a girl with black wavy hair wearing a tank top, high heels and a mini skirt. A very short, very scandalous mini skirt.  
"Oh, please." Saguru rolled his eyes. "Do you honestly think that _this_ will help us?"  
"Of course it will!" A Kid-grin flashed over Kuroba-kun's altered features. "Wanna bet? I bet I'll provide us a ride within the next 20 minutes!"

Later, Saguru and _Sayaka-chan_ hid behind a tree near the highway. Saguru checked his watch, merely out of habit.  
"I pity your unborn child," Kuroba-kun murmured behind him, "cause it will need to compete against a watch for its father's love."  
 _And I pity your unborn child for its father is an imbecile, thank you very much._  
Before he had the opportunity to answer, his walkie-talkie rustled statically. "Ace to Falcon and Joker, the next car suits our target group. Truck, male driver, about 20 years. Over."  
Kuroba-kun didn't waste any time; he scurried over the few meters to the highway and positioned himself.  
"Falcon to Ace and Sword, Joker is on her position. Over."  
He heard a faint sneer because of the female pronoun, and then the connection went off.  
34 seconds and 21 milliseconds later, the announced truck came in sight, driving around a corner. Kuroba-kun waved enthusiastically. The truck came nearer … and … halted beside Kuroba-kun.  
With a resented sigh, Saguru checked his watch once more. 18 minutes, 12 seconds and 5 milliseconds since they made the bet. That bloody bastard.  
He pocketed his watch, left his hideout and stepped beside _Sayaka-chan_ and the car. A few seconds later, Hattori-kun and Kudo-kun came to a halt beside them, slightly panting form their short sprint.  
The driver stared at them in utter shock, his mouth wide open.  
"Good news, boys," Kuroba-kun all but fluted in a female voice that somehow reminded Saguru of Akako-san. "Shiro-san here will help us out!"

* * *

**Omake**

Three weeks later, a certain Ikeda Shiro won the lottery, because Kuroba-kun bribed the woman who always drew the numbers, disguised as her and _coincidentally_ drew the exact numbers Ikeda-san had chosen that week.  
"See?" Kuroba-kun grinned like a Cheshire Cat. "I _told_ you I'll compensate him!"  
Saguru snorted. "The gesture would have been much more selfless if you had not bet on the same numbers as him."  
Kuroba-kun shrugged it off nonchalantly. "I'll only use the money to buy Aoko a new thong. The rest goes to a fund for cancer patients."  
It took some seconds – he needed to stomach the comment about the thong at first – but then the realization hit him like a thunderbolt.  
"Cancer patients, huh?" Kenta Connery suffered from cancer, and tomorrow was the anniversary of his father's death.  
An unreadable emotion flickered over Kuroba-kun's face, there and gone in a heartbeat.  
Saguru took a sip of his tea, feigning ignorance.


	9. # 24: Strength

It was strange how he lost his sense of time.  
Those heartbeats, when he held Connery in his hand, struggled with the man's weight, desperately asked him to hold his other hand as well, and tried to pull him up, seemed to last an eternity.  
But as the man eventually slipped out of his grip and plummeted to his death, the time seemed to speed up and everything happened in a blur.  
He could not scream, he was too startled.  
And then he heard the voices, the boy's voice in particular, and he shot the mask down from the man's face and fled _._ Not fast enough, however, he could still hear the boy's laments.  
And the thoughts hammered in his head: _Oh my God he is dead and his son is an orphan now, a little boy who lost his father, just like me ...  
_ He huddled in a corner, shivering.

It was strange how he lost his sense of time. He couldn't estimate how long he sat in that corner. But eventually, he stood up again and went home.  
He hadn't been strong enough to save Connery but he would be strong enough to move on.


	10. # 25: Mask

Sometimes Kaito catches himself staring at his father's painting and wondering: _Is it worth it?_  
He's lying to Aoko on daily basis, he's taunting her father who's like an uncle to him, he's endangering his own life (and health) and all those people around him.  
All for a ludicrous legend about a mystic _rock._ A rock even his brilliant father failed to find after _years_ of searching. A rock that maybe doesn't exist.  
However, these kind of thoughts never last long, because he forces himself to suppress them. Because he forces himself to smile.  
That's his heritage. That's his Pokerface.


	11. # 10: Drink

Kaito awoke with a terrible headache and the urge to barf.  
With a pained moan he reached for his forehead to massage it.  
"Oh, the princess has finally awaked?" a familiar voice asked mockingly.  
Blinking against the sunlight, he slowly started to recognize his surroundings. The faces of Sera, Kudo and Hakuba hovered over him.  
"What has happened?" he asked hoarsely. Hakuba looked displeased. Kudo smirked. Sera grinned.  
"Well," she began. "This story contains a bottle of gin, a certain someone who found it very amusing to drink said bottle of gin, a giant top hat and the Tohto Tower."


	12. # 06: Hurricane

Kid awoke with a strange feeling of dizziness and wetness. The wetness at least was easily explained: He floated on the water, some piece of wood preventing him from submerging. He had no idea where he was and why. But first things first: He needed to get out of the water.  
Dragging his soaked top hat deeper over his face, he began to paddle to the shore.  
While paddling, he noticed that something about his environment was extremely wrong, but he didn't understand what ...  
Then a startled voice sounded: "Oh my- It's him! The Wizard of Oz has returned!"


	13. # 39: Overwhelmed

Kaito awoke with a strange feeling of exhaustion and soreness in his joints, as if he'd overworked them during training.  
The next thing he realized was that he lay in a bed – but the bed wasn't his. The sheets were to stiff and smelled different.  
Then he realized that he was naked. And that there was a warm body beside him.  
 _What the hell, Aoko and I didn't-  
_ He raised, panic-stricken, peeked to the left – and froze in utter terror.  
The person he shared the bed with wasn't Aoko. It was Kudo. One very naked Kudo. One very naked Kudo who started to squirm like a person who was on the verge of waking up.  
Kaito wanted to scream. Kaito wanted to jump out of the bed and flee. Kaito wanted to jump out of the _window_ and flee. But the only thing he did was sitting there and watching Kudo waking up.  
After some seconds the unavoidable happened: Kudo opened his eyes. And stared right into Kaito's.  
Kaito stared. Kudo stared.  
Then, as by a mute signal, they both jumped out of the bed and started to scream.  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
"HYAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
Then some recognition hit Kaito's brain.  
"KOIZUMI!"


	14. # 50: Breathe

Kaito awoke with the subconscious feeling of dread, as if he knew by instinct that he'd forgotten something important without comprehending what exactly he forgot.  
The first three things he noticed afterwards were darkness, coldness and hardness: It was pitch-black around him; it was so cold that his teeth chattered slightly; and he lay on something hard and rigid.  
He tried to feel out his surroundings, but his fingers bumped against a solid barricade almost immediately.  
 _What the hell has happened?  
_ All too sudden, fragments of memories flooded his mind, as if they had waited for him to phrase that question: A diamond in the milky moonlight, bright red sparkling and twinkling, moisture dripping down, Snake, Snake with a pistol, Snake with a pistol pointed at him, a shot, a burst, a scream, shattered pieces, pain, gasping for breath, gulping, _pain_ -  
Nothing.  
Death-cold hands seemed to stroke his back as comprehension creeped into his mind.  
He had found Pandora. Snake had shot him. And he had accidently swallowed something of that liquid.  
And now ... __  
The cold hands on his back reached for his heart and squeezed, squeezed the air out of his lungs.  
Now he lay in a coffin.


	15. # 02: Hero

According to him, proving courage and doing the right thing despite all the hardship one might have to face because of it had always been vital elements of the concept of heroism.  
But "doing the right thing" was easier said than done. What was the right thing anyway? Who decided it? Could it be righteous to steal? Many people would negate that, but he considered it as righteous as long as it helped him achieving justice and making people happy. But that sounded dangerously close to "The end justifies the means" and he would not support such a philosophy.  
What if the right thing hurt people (like Oyaji's death had hurt him)?  
What if the right thing destroyed the hero so much that he couldn't see himself as a hero anymore?  
He held Pandora's remnants in his shaking hand, watching its "tears" ooze away while his own tears dampened his cheeks. He bent over her lifeless form, gasping for breath.  
He felt like a murderer, like he lost her not once but twice, for he'd just destroyed the last thing that could have saved her life.  
Maybe the word "hero" was just as hollow as his heart felt right now.


	16. # 38: Forever

She takes a deep breath. She clutches the hammer with trembling hands. She gulps back a sob before she smashes the hammer _down,_ again and again and again, until the cursed thing - the thing that had ruined so much, had ruined _everything_ \- finally gives in, until there's nothing left but thousand little splinters.  
She waits and waits, anxious, yearning. But nothing happens, her heart throbs strong and undeterred in her chest, and she bends over and starts to cry, to cry, to cry, until she can not cry anymore.  
She is still immortal and he is still unreachable dead.


	17. # 27: Fall

With a clink, the shattered monocle came to a halt beside his feet.  
He bent over the thief's still form and tried to feel for his pulse, although he already knew how stupid that was; there was no way that he could've survived this fall.  
There was no pulse, as expected. He couldn't prevent himself from glimpsing at Kid's face, the face that was so disturbing similar to his own. He tried to ignore the blood that smeared the thief's features and blemished the pristine white suit with angry stains, but he failed; the picture burned itself in his eyes and soul.  
He stayed put as a passenger spotted them and screamed.  
He stayed put as the policemen stormed out of the theatre.  
He ignored the shouts, the commands, the whispers; everything blurred to one annoying background noise.  
Someone grabbed his ankle and pulled him away, he struggled but he was too weak.  
He recognized Ran's strained voice. ("It's fine, Conan-kun, it'll be okay.")  
 _Wrong, wrong, nothing is fine._  
Haibara's face appeared in front of him. "What happened?"  
Conan gulped. "He crashed against a building and plummeted."  
"But ... _why?"_  
He gulped again. "I shot a tranquilizer dart at him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's that certain scene in the 8th movie that disturbed me greatly: Conan falls from a roof, Kid jumps after him to rescue him, but it turns out to be a trap. Conan breaks his fall with a parachute and tries to sedate Kid with a tranquilizer dart. I thought "What the hell is he doing?" and wondered what would've happened if the dart had actually hit Kid.  
> Well, here's my answer.


	18. # 46: Gravity

_Alright, time to put Occhan to sleep._ Conan prepared his watch and aimed for Ran's father.  
Unfortunately, the man chose this moment of all times to lean forward scrutinizing a piece of evidence.  
And so the dart hit Kuroba, who stood behind Occhan.  
Kuroba had one second to look startled. Then he made the well-known drowsy noise that all of his dart victims made for some reason ("Oh, it's happening again!" Megure-keibu commented) and started to stumble backwards.  
And then, with the elegance of a drunken rhinoceros, he fell headfirst to the ground.  
Conan groaned in annoyance. Seriously, what the hell?! All those times when he had competed against Kid he had never had a chance to hit the guy with his dart! And now, when he didn't even try because of their new declared truce, he hit him. And of course the baaroo didn't have the decency to fall in a sitting posture like the others always did – no, he'd just fallen like a felled tree log, his face kissing the carpet!  
"Kaito, what's wrong?" the Nakamori girl shrieked.  
"Well, that's new," Megure-keibu said with growing concern. "Oh my- It's a real epileptic fit! Takagi-kun, call for an ambulance!"


	19. # 23: Fire

It had happened nine years ago, but Kaito could still see it clearly in his mind's eye:  
Oyaji's enigmatic smile as he climbed into that box.  
The bang as the box exploded.  
The joy and the awe he had felt. (He had thought it was a part of the show.)  
The cheerful applause from the audience, who had confused it with a trick, too.  
The flickering flames that had licked for the curtains.  
The upcoming confusion and the panic-stricken screams ...  
Kaa-chan and Jii had kept a cool head. Thanks to them, everyone had made it out alive. Everyone except Oyaji.  
Later, Kaito had been angry: At the police, who'd labeled it an accident much too fast. At Kaa-chan, who'd never objected. At Oyaji, who'd left him, who'd destroyed his innocent belief in his invincibility.  
He'd been too young to understand the meaning behind it. That the police had distorted the report purposely. That Kaa-chan had kept silent to protect them both.  
But now, nine years later, he was old enough to understand.

It was three o'clock in the morning. He just came back from a nightly stroll and saw his house burning in flames. And he understood immediately.


	20. # 26: Ice

The ice cream dripped. Aoko sobbed.

_He couldn't hear the shot, but he felt the jolt as it ripped his glider's aluminium brace away._

She wiped the puddle off with angry movements.

_His feet met the lake's slippery surface. He tried to gain a firm foothold._

This was ridiculous. Why did she cry at the sight of an ice cream cone?

_But he failed._

Maybe because Kaito loved ice cream so much.

_He fell to the frozen ground._

Damn, she missed Kaito.

_The ice underneath him cracked ominously._

He's gone missing two weeks ago.

_And the burning coldness consumed him._


	21. # 05: Run

And once again, Kaitou Kid complimented himself on his magnificent heist slash escape slash disguise.  
He'd managed to slip into a maid café (with a proper disguise, of course. He was a pro!) and was currently on his way to the back door ...  
"Oi, what are you doing here?" Suddenly, a pretty maid in her twenty-somethings blocked his way.  
"I'm working here!" Kid hastily said in a female voice. "I'm the new maid!"  
She gave him a hard look. "You're Masao's niece?"  
"Yes," he answered, gladly taking the cover story she played right into his hands.  
He wasn't that glad anymore when she plunged forward to slap him.  
... Okay, so that didn't work out too well. But a gas capsule solved the problem quickly. He put the now unconscious maid in a wardrobe. Being the gentleman he was, he couldn't resist the urge to write her a letter of apology. That accomplished, he left the dressing room.  
Now for the back door ...  
"Oi, what are you doing here?" Suddenly, a not so handsome man in his fourty-somethings blocked his way.  
"I'm working here!" Kid said again. "I'm Masao's niece!"  
The man folded his arms. "I am Masao!"


	22. # 49: Lock

"Kai-chan, we need to talk."  
Kaito paused. He smelled bad, embarrassing news. The last conversation between him and his mother initiated by _that_ sentence had been about _contraception_.  
"Talk about what?" he asked cautiously.  
"Lockpicking. I watched your last heist on TV and I'm afraid to tell you that you're still much too slow! But fear nothing, your Kaa-chan will give you a superb tutoring lesson!"  
"The hell?!" He stared at her in bewilderment. "You know that I'm Kaitou Kid?!"  
"But of course, I'm your mother!"  
"And you know how to pick a lock?!"  
"But of course, I'm Phantom Lady!"


	23. # 09: Red

The gruesome color had stained his suit once more and all he could do was stare in shock.  
He fell on his knees, gasping, praying, his thoughts spinning ( _No, no, no! – Why him? He was still so young! –_ _Please don't ...!).  
_ But the horrible sight in front of him didn't change.  
"Kaa-chan!" he cried out in desperation. "You've put the suit and the tie in the same laundry load _again!"_


	24. # 12: Temptation

It was calling for him. Soft, sweet, seductive.  
Kid gulped inaudibly. He couldn't linger here, he knew, and yet …  
It was so _tempting_.  
Ignoring the silent, scolding voice in his head he drew nearer – he was a phantom thief, and taking risks was part of the fun, period.  
Just when he crouched down to reach for the cake, a loud jingling sounded and a metal cage plunged down on him.  
Nakamori-keibu and Suzuki broke out in triumphant shouts. Tantei-kun, however, looked like he wanted to bang his head against the next wall. "I can't believe he actually fell for that!"


	25. # 11: Midnight

"How do you like it?"  
They stood on a skyscraper's rooftop, bathed in milky moonlight. A world of glass, metal, concrete and pulsing lights lay beneath them.  
It was ... it was ... "Breathtaking," Aoko murmured finally.  
With a happy chuckle, he drew her closer to him – she could feel the vibration of his voice and the strong heartbeat in his ribcage. (No, she didn't blush. She didn't!)  
"Hey," he whispered into her ear. "I know how we can turn this nice moment into a magic moment."  
She glanced up. "How?"  
When his smile changed into a grin, she tried to pull away instinctively, but it was too late: Before she knew what hit her, he'd already lifted her up in bridal style.  
"Dammit!" Blushing deeply, she shrieked and tried to wiggle out of his grip. "What are you doing, idiot? Let me go!"  
"Now, now, _Milady_ , that would be boring!" he said with an annoying sing-song-voice. He climbed over the balustrade – Aoko's eyes widened, her lips forming a silent "No!" – and jumped.  
"HYAAAAAAAAH!" She closed her eyes and clung to him with all her might, but the terrifying sense of falling ceased almost immediately. When she finally found the courage to open her eyes again, the first thing she saw was the white glider that carried them securely through the night air. Aoko couldn't believe it: Her boyfriend, the idiot, the absolutely stupid _jackass_ had somehow changed his clothes without breaking the hold of her and wore his frigging Kid attire now!  
"You asshole!" She rammed her elbow into his stomach. "You stupid, silly, foolish, wacky idiot! I hate you! Let me go, idiot!"  
He laughed – the dimwit! – but then his lips slipped over hers and all her thoughts of killing him brutally with her mop evaporated right away.


	26. # 20: Talent

_Finally a case without Mori-san or Conan-kun around,_ Megure thought. He didn't dare to verbalize his thoughts, though, for the chances that at least one of them would randomly appear out of nowhere were too high. They had a special talent for such things.  
When he entered the garden and his eyes found the victim, all his thoughts about Mori-san, Conan-kun and awkward coincidences vanished instantly. Someone gasped, either himself or Takagi-kun, he wasn't sure. He didn't care anyway, because … the victim was Kudo-kun! Or so it seemed at least.  
Megure stood there, frozen, not wanting to believe what he was seeing.  
 _No, no, impossible, Kudo-kun couldn't be dead_ – _  
_The neighbor (who'd found the corpse and informed the police) needed some time to explain that the victim wasn't Kudo-kun but a boy named Kuroba Kaito – Megure was too shocked to process the new information at first. But finally, after some seconds, it sank in: The victim was just a boy who looked disturbingly similar to Kudo-kun and furthermore sported a school uniform that looked _exactly_ like Hattori-kun's. What a small, weird world they lived in!  
He felt a sudden, strong pang of relief, instantly followed by remorse: He shouldn't be biased like that, it was unprofessional and unfair on the poor victim. And yet he couldn't help but feel relieved …

It was an easy case to solve. The victim was beaten to death with a blunt, damp object.  
The first piece of evidence was the gaping laceration on the boy's forehead.  
The second piece of evidence was the mop lying on the ground next to the victim.  
The third piece of evidence was the girl sitting on the ground next to the mop, stuttering incoherent things like "Oh Kami, I've killed Kaito, oh nononono …"  
Megure sighed. "Looks like a very serious case of mopping."


	27. # 19: Candle

"Nooo!" Aoko tore her hair in exasperation as the candle wax began to smoke _again._ "You stupid, fucking-"  
"Oi, oi, such harsh words from such a sweet mouth!"  
Aoko almost bolted when she heard that voice, but she pulled herself together just in time. "Damn it, Kaito," she hissed without looking at him – she was too busy maneuvering the still smoldering wax into a fireproof bin. "Stop sneaking up on me like a … like a-"  
"Thief?" he suggested with a grin she could not see but hear.  
FLAP! Her right slipper smacked against his head before it landed on the kitchen table harmlessly. This didn't stop the idiot from laughing, of course. Rolling her eyes, Aoko filled some new wax into a jug and switched on the kettle.  
"What are you doing here anyway?" His voice was much closer now, almost directly behind her, but this time she did not flinch, because she was prepared. She merely inclined her head slightly so he could look over her shoulder. He closed the short distance between them immediately and rested his chin on her shoulder. The gesture made her smile despite herself.  
"Well, I'm _trying_ to mold a candle. Keiko's birthday is in two days and I thought it would be a nice present but … It just doesn't work!"  
"Because you're clumsy~"  
She narrowed her eyes. "Don't force me to use my mop on you!"  
"Awww, you're so mean, Aoko!" he whined dramatically. "That's domestic violence! I'm a victim of domestic violence!"  
"No, you're a victim of your own stupidity!" she said, but without any spite. "Now just shut up and let me work in piece."  
She reached for the kettle, but he grabbed her ankle, stopping the movement. "You can't use boiling water to heat the wax," he said, a hint of genuine consternation in his voice. "No wonder the wax burned the last time! And you have to fix the wick better and-"  
Aoko felt her face heating in embarrassment, but she tried to hide it with a scowl. "Oh, well, I'm sorry for being so clumsy!"  
"No need to apologize, my dear- _ouch_! Oi, oi, calm down, will you? I'll show you how to do it properly. But one color is boring, let's make a layered candle … Do you have any more colors … yes, that's nice …"

As she watched him pouring the molten wax into the can she'd prepared earlier, she could not keep herself from staring at his hands. She hadn't realized until now how fascinating his hands were … it wasn't the form of his hands in particular that fascinated her, but how he moved them: with confidence and skill and strength and elegance. A magician's hands (and a thief's, but she didn't like to think about that aspect too much. Kaito's been a magician long before he became a thief anyway).  
"Oi, is there anything that you can't do?" The question blurted out of her mouth before she could stop herself.  
"Huh?" He gave her a sidelong glance and smiled. "But of course! I can't withstand the temptation to flip your-"  
She took her mop from the cupboard, holding it threatening under his nose.  
"Uhhh …" He stared at it. "Do you think your mop is bribable?"  
"Nope. He's my loyal servant."  
"Geez, what a pity …"

"Et voilà!" He showed her the new candle. "Nice, isn't it?"  
It was nice indeed. He'd created a pattern of blue and purple stripes, two of her favorite colors.  
"You can't give it to Keiko of course," he said. "I've made this one for you. But you should know by now how it works. Do you want to light it?"  
She gingerly took the candle in her hands. "No."  
He gave her a startled look, causing her to smile.  
"Let's wait for a special moment."


	28. # 37: Lies

She clutches the bars with white knuckles.  
"Why, Kaito? Tell me why. I deserve the answer, don't you think?"  
Of course she thinks that there is one simple answer. One simple reason, one simple truth. She'd always seen the world in black and white. But it's different for him. He has a complicated mess of motives – some are completely selfless and some are downright egoistical.  
 _Because I wanted to find my father's murderers._  
 _Because I wanted to bring them to justice._  
 _Because I wanted to finish Oyaji's mission._  
 _Because I wanted to act the hero._  
 _... Because it was fun._  
Kaito leans forward and curves his lips to a lopsided grin. "Because it was fun."  
It's not a lie, but it's not the truth either.  
So many emotions flicker across her face: disappointment, pain, sorrow, anger, resentment. She'd always been easy for him to read. And he knows how she'll react.  
"Fine." One final word, filled with venom.  
She turns away and leaves; her steps echo through empty corridors.  
And he realizes that he is not trapped in one, but in two different prisons. The first is made of bars. The second is made of secrets, fears and lies.


	29. # 41: Wait

Aoko laughed. It wasn't cheerful; it was hard, shrill and downright hysterical.  
It was enough to break his heart.  
"You want me to wait? After all those lies, after ... _everything ..._ you seriously expect me to stay put and _wait_ for you? Ahaha, Kaito, that's just so – _so_ – _stupid!_  
He plastered a smile on his face. "I'm sorry."  
"You're _sorry?!"_ She slapped him. He let it happen.  
"Your father searched years for that thing! You're very likely gone for years as well, maybe even for decades – if they don't kill you, which is the most probable outcome! Damn, Kaito ..." She made a pained noise, something between a snarl and a sob.  
Kaito clenched his teeth and tried to retain his pokerface. Maybe it was better that way, at least for her. Now that he thought about it, he realized how selfish his request has been.  
Aoko opened her wardrobe violently.  
"What're you doing now?" he asked, exhausted.  
"Packing," she snapped back. "I won't wait for you and you were stupid to even consider it. I'll come with you."  
She regarded him with hard eyes. "That doesn't mean that I forgive you."  
But it meant that she loved him.


	30. # 08: Cold

Her phone rang.  
"I'm coming!" Aoko shouted, despite the fact that the caller couldn't hear her.  
She hopped out of the shower and dried herself with a towel.  
The phone rang again; it sounded oddly demanding.  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way!" She toweled her hair and slipped in her dressing gown.  
Her hair still damp, she sprinted to the phone and picked it up.  
"Hello, Amane Aoko here?!"  
Sinlence. A breathing sound, maybe.  
Then she heard the free line signal.  
She stared at the phone in confusion and annoyance. "Shoot, that was the third time in this week already!"


	31. # 28: Forgotten

The boy is eight years old now, the age he was when he had lost his father.  
 _What an irony,_ he thinks.  
"Hello." He smiles kindly, and the boy grins back, curious and blithe.  
 _(It hurts. It hurts so much he can't breathe.)_  
"Is your Kaa-chan here?"  
The boy shakes his head. "She's at work. Who are you?"  
"I am …" He hesitates. "I am a friend of your mother's. It's been a while since we last saw each other. My name is Kuroba Kaito, do you remember me?" _  
_The boy shakes his head again. _  
(It hurts even more.)  
_ "No." __  



	32. # 21: Silence

Conan peered around the corner and found himself staring right into Kid's eyes.  
The thief leaned against the wall in a crouched stance, one hand tightly pressed against his shoulder. His hand couldn't cover the blood welling out of his bullet wound entirely.  
They seemed to stare at each other forever. When he heard the siren, Conan hastily ran back to the main road. Nakamori-keibu and his policemen almost trampled him down in their hurry.  
"Oi, boya!" Nakamori-keibu pointed a finger at the direction he came from. "Have you seen Kid in that side alley?"  
He shook his head wordlessly.


	33. # 07: Wings

Kid grinned. Tantei-kun, who'd developed an almost eerie instinct for his quirks recently, glared daggers at him.  
"No!"  
Kid grinned even more. He grabbed Tantei-kun beneath his shoulders and lifted him. Tantei-kun made a halfhearted attempt to struggle out of his grip, but stopped soon enough in a resigned manner.  
Kid jumped from the rooftop, activated his glider and screamed _**"To infinity and** **beyond!"**_  
"You're such an idiot ..."

* * *

**Omake**  


"Darling, come over here! I've made an epic snapshot!"  
"If it's a boring shooting star again I swear I'm-"  
"No, no, much better! Come on, take a look!"  
"If you insist …"  
"Well?"  
" _..._ " __  
"Honey?"  
"… Let's put it on YouTube!"


	34. # 31: Sacred

_No one gets hurt._ That was his sacred rule, his code of honor, his oath-  
A soccer ball crashed against the back of his head and knocked him down headfirst.  
Screw the rules, Tantei-kun needed a _lesson_.  
He rose as gracefully as possible and wiped off the dust on his suit.  
The detective aimed for a new shot, Kid ducked away, pulled a footbag out of his sleeve and threw it straight against Tantei-kun's head.  
"Well, how do you like that? It hurts to get a ball right in the face, doesn't it? _Doesn't it?"_


	35. # 01: Ring

"Kuroba Kaito, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and cherish her?"  
"Yes, I do."  
"And do you, Nakamori Aoko, take ... ugh ... erk ... urghhh ..."  
Suddenly, the pastor clutched at his throat with a pained expression. Kaito could only watch in horror as he staggered to the right, then to the left, and eventually collapsed to the ground, dead.  
"Ah, well ... looks like he was poisoned," Kudo said.  
The wedding guests groaned in irritation.  
Aoko darted a murderous glance at him. "I _told_ you it was a bad idea to make him our best man!"


	36. # 44: Hope

When Aoko gave birth to her daughter, Shinichi wasn't allowed to come near the clinic because _"We have learned from the incident at our wedding and_ _no one_ _wants a homicide in a hospital!"  
_ He could see their point, but that didn't keep him from sulking. The worst thing was that Ran already considered banning him from his own child's birth too.  
When his phone finally started to ring, he picked up eagerly. "Well?!"  
"It's a baby!" Kuroba shouted.  
"Oh, really." Shinichi's voice was as dry as the desert. "And here I thought your offspring would be an alien."  
"It's a baby!" Kuroba shouted again with obvious glee. Shinichi doubted that he'd actually heard his wry comment. "It's a cute little healthy baby!"  
 _He's like that time when he ate too much sugar,_ Shinichi thought, feeling a smile tugging at his lips.  
"Congratulations! How's Aoko?"  
"Fine enough to boss me, the nurses and Hakuba around!" Kuroba answered happily.  
Shinichi grinned inwardly - he could absolutely see the scene in his mind's eye.  
"Do you have a name already?"  
"Yeah." He could hear Kuroba's smile through the phone. "Natsuki."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name Natsuki has different meanings, depending on the chosen kanji:  
> It can mean hope and summer (夏希), but also moon and greens (菜月).


	37. # 30: Body

With a flash of smoke, 6-year-old Natsuki appeared in the kitchen, one coughing Kudo Akira hot on her heels.  
"To-chan, we found a dead body in the neighbor's garden! According to the rigor mortis and blood clotting, plus the current ambient temperatures, the victim died about six hours ago! We noticed a strange shaped laceration on the corpse's forehead, probably caused by a heavy blunt-ended object weighing between ..."  
Kaito darted a sour glance at Kudo while his daughter rattled down facts and numbers entirely inadequate for a girl at her age to know.  
Kudo unsuccessfully tried to look innocent.

* * *

**Omake**

When Shinichi had learned that he would become a little boy's father, he'd sworn to himself that he'd never do the same mistakes his parents had done: He would never abuse his son as a dress-up-doll, he would never give him embarrassing nicknames, he would never use him as a bait for women to flirt with them and he would never take him to crime scenes before the age of eight years (after some well-aimed kicks from Ran he even raised the age limit a bit).  
But of course, things didn't work out as planned: When Shinichi didn't come to the crime scenes, the crime scenes came to him. He couldn't escape them when he carried along Akira either. And with weird babysitters like Haibara, Kuroba and Hakuba it wasn't surprising that his son had developed some strange habits and tendencies.  
However, his new ploy to steal his classmate's dolls was a bit shocking …  
"So, Akira ..." He waggled the principal's letter. "Do you want to tell me something?"  
Akira acted as if he hadn't heard him, but that was fine. Shinichi knew that he just needed to wait a bit. And stare the I-know-you'll-spill-it-sooner-or-later-stare.  
Seconds passed. 20 seconds, 30 seconds … after a minute or so his son broke at last (he shouldn't feel so smug about breaking a 7-year-old child's will, but he couldn't help it).  
"They were mean!" Akira asserted. "They bullied Natsuki-chan! Called her creepy and loony, just because she didn't scream or shriek like the other girls when we spotted the corpse in the schoolyard!"  
Shinichi felt a pang of pity for the girl. He knew situations like that too well.  
"You're right, that's really mean. But it doesn't justify theft."  
"I didn't steal the dolls, I only borrowed them!"  
"... Do you mind explaining that to me?"  
"I took the dolls, made up a stupid story about a ghost who punishes mean little girls by stealing their things, and gave the dolls back after they'd given a formal apology to Natsuki-chan."  
Shinichi fought down the urge to facepalm. Stealing things and giving them back after they fulfilled their purpose, all because of some twisted morals … it wasn't hard to conclude who'd taught his son those kind of methods.  
"Do I get house detention now?" Akira asked warily.  
Shinichi huffed. "What use would it be? You'd just pick the locks and sneak out of the house again!"

\---

"Hi Shin-chan!"  
"Hyaaaaaaah!"  
"Wow, that's a rude way to greet your beloved Kaa-chan, isn't it?"  
"Akira wears a dress! Why does my son wear a dress?"  
"Because he wanted to!"  
"I don't believe you! That's your doing, I know it! Geeez, Kaa-san, I told you not to misuse my son as a dress-up-doll! This is crazy!"  
"Awww, Shin-chan, you're so mean, how do I deserve this? It really was his own decision! He wanted to look like Natsuki-chan-"  
"Oh, for Kami's sake!"  
"-So Kaito-kun lend me one of her dresses and I dressed him up like her! Isn't he cute? I even made photos with both of them in partner look."  
"Give them to me, I'll burn them!"  
"I'm afraid it's too late for that. I've already send copies to Ran-chan, Aoko-chan, Eri-chan and Chikage-san."  
"You're terrible."  
"Oh, come on, don't be like that. He won't become gay just because of something like that!"  
"Don't you jinx him! … Mental note to myself: Never let Kaa-san and Kuroba look after my son together!"  
"Shin-chan, I can still hear you ..."

\---

Heiji eyed the little toddler in his arms seriously.  
"Alright, pal, I think it's time for a man-to-man-talk."  
The toddler blinked curiously at him.  
"There is somethin' ya need to know before ya parent's let you go out into the world. So listen carefully!"  
Another blink.  
"Soccer sucks. I know, ya father is a soccer geek, but he has no taste. At all. Soccer is lame. Absolutely lame! Not even worth bein' called sport! But dontcha worry, I won't let him spoil ya. When ya old enough to learn some sports, I'll teach ya the best sport in tha world: baseball."  
The toddler regarded him with bright blue eyes.  
"Ya heard me right, pal: Baseball. Baseball is cool. I'll teach ya baseball and ya become a cool guy! Baseball. Baseball, baseball, baseball, baseball, baseball, baseball ..."

"Shinichi!" Even through the phone he could hear how excited Ran was. "Aki-chan has just said his first word!"  
Shinichi felt a strange mix of happiness and sorrow. He was happy because his son has said his first word, but he was also sad because he had missed it. "One moment, Ran!" He covered the phone with his hand.  
"Oi, Hattori! Akira just started to speak!"  
Hattori looked up from the file he was reading. "Really? That's awesome, man! Congratulations!"  
They shared a short, very manly and absolutely platonic hug.  
"So, Ran!" Shinichi took the hand from his phone and activated the loudspeakers. "What was his first word?"  
"Baseball."  
Shinichi glared sourly at Hattori, who did his best to look innocent. And failed.


	38. # 40: Whisper

Her footsteps are almost inaudible, but he still hears them.  
 _Looks like he inherited his father's senses,_ she thinks with slight amusement.  
For a few seconds he's just staring blankly at her. When recognition sinks in, he starts to smile – a charming smile she'd seen on Toichi's face very often.  
"Sharon-oba-san, right? Nice to see you again. It's been a long time."  
She chuckles softly. "Four years. I'm surprised that you remember me."  
"How could I forget the mysterious lady that always creeped me out?" Eyes shining with mirth and melancholy, he makes a flamboyant gesture and presents her a rose. "What brings you back to Japan?"  
She takes the rose. "Business. But I couldn't miss the opportunity to visit my Sensei's grave once more. Do you come here often?"  
"No. He wouldn't want me to."  
 _But of course. Pokerface, pokerface, can't_ _let the world see your sorrow._ _T_ _he grave is well-kept,_ _however_ _._  
"Aahh ..." She strokes the velvet petals. "Black, huh? Guess I just can't escape this color."  
"What do you mean by that?"  
She chuckles again and whispers: "Now, now, Kaito-kun, don't ask too much ... there are certain things in this world that should remain a mystery."


	39. # 42: Talk

"Noooo!" The boy – she's almost certain now that he's indeed a boy – throws his hands up rather comically. "I've lost again!"  
Senma snorts. "You can't lose when you don't try to win."  
"Ho?" He raises a dyed eyebrow. "What makes you think that I didn't try?"  
"Your moves were too erratic. You never tried to win, you just concentrated on puzzling and misleading me. You might have won if you'd played seriously, but I guess that would be too boring for you?"  
"Bingo~" He's grinning openly now. "Looks like you caught me, Senma-tantei."  
She decides to ignore the pun. "Why are you here, _boya?"_  
"To visit you, of course! We're family, after all. I'm the nephew of the grandfather of the cousin of the daughter of the brother of your uncle."  
That's rubbish. Senma has no relatives left, and he knows that very well. Why Kaitou Kid of all people feels the need to visit her – a murderer – in prison is beyond her understanding.  
"Why?"  
"Why not?"  
"Because it's insane."  
"No matter to me."  
"It's for the thrill, then?"  
"You really think that?"  
Senma frowns. She's no expert in the matter of Kid, but somehow she doubts that his motives are single-layered.  
He leans forward, a mild smile on his face. "You're a murderer, yes. But I can tell that you regret it. And I'm convinced that everyone deserves a second chance. I also think that nobody should be punished twice for one thing – you already received your punishment, you're in prison, probably for the rest of your life. I don't see any harm in visiting an old lady to keep her company. There's another reason, the two of us have something in common, but I won't tell you the details."  
He rearranges the chess pieces, grinning again. "Another match?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Senma Furuyo is the culprit in the Twilight Mansion Case. In the end of the episode she jumps out of the helicopter, apparently in an attempt to commit suicide. Kid jumps after her and rescues her. She then tells him that she only jumped to save him from Conan and Hakuba who had figured out his disguise by then.  
> I've always found the thought amusing that Kid could pay her a visit in prison as a sign of gratitude. The thing they have in common is their father's stories. Senma's father was hired to find the mysterious treasure that was said to be hidden in the mansion, but he never came back because he was murdered during the massacre that occurred there. It somehow reminded me of Toichi's unsuccessful search for Pandora.  
> Senma's fate might be a warning for him to not stray from his path.


	40. # 34: Search

"Why are you doing it?" He already knows that he won't get an answer – at least not an informative one – but the question slips out of his mouth regardless.  
Kid lets himself dangle headfirst from the lamppost, one hand at his hat to secure it, his sharp grin slightly glinting in the moonlight.  
"My, my, Tantei-san." He wags his finger at him like a disapproving adult. "I already told you, didn't I? It's your job to figure it out."  
For once, Saguru doesn't try to tackle or reach for him. He just stands there, looking upwards, scrutinizing the thief thoughtfully. After some seconds (14 seconds and 36 milliseconds) Kid's grin twitches faintly. "Perhaps you should ask yourself that question first."  
Saguru narrows his eyes. "Pardon?"  
"Why are you doing this?" Kid asks, now with Saguru's voice (and it's kind of unnerving to hear his own voice in that playful tone). "Being a detective?"  
 _Along the lines of "Know yourself before you know your enemy"?_  
With a sudden cackle, Kid swings forward and grabs Saguru's deerstalker, dyeing it green.  
"It might help you to find the answer!" Kid says cheerfully. He puts the cap back on Saguru's head. "... Or not."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saguru means "to search".  
> The meaning behind Kid's advice is the following: One of Kid's prime motives is to bring some criminals behind bars and therefore to do justice. It's exactly what a detective is supposed to aspire.  
> The vital question now is: What was Hakuba's motive to become a detective? Did he do it because he wanted to perform justice? To be honest, I don't think so. I think he just needed an intellectual challenge. But I think that maybe – if he is forced to reflect about his own motives and a detective's job – he comes aware of the responsibility a detective is ought to carry. And then he's perhaps able to draw the connection to Kid's motives. But Kid doubts that he can do it, hence the "... Or not." at the end of their conversation that refutes everything he said before.


	41. # 35: Fever

While sleeping, Kuroba-kun looked surprisingly harmless.  
He lay on his back, his mouth slightly opened, his limbs sprawled out over the bed. One arm clutched the distorted blanket, the opposite leg hung loosely from the edge, exposing his Kamen Yaiba pyjama.  
He looked like a child, really. He'd perhaps look peaceful too, if it weren't for his erratic breathing, his reddened cheeks and the beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.  
"He's like that for three days now, the idiot." Nakamori-san sounded angry, but she couldn't fool Saguru; he knew it was the worry for her friend which distorted her voice. "I tried to convince him to go to the hospital," she said, her eyes locked on Kuroba-kun's sweaty face, "but he refused. Said that I'm worried over nothing and that it's just a normal cold." She ran her fingers through her hair, an unconscious gesture of stress and exasperation. "He's so foolish sometimes, it pisses me off! And when I phoned Chikage-oba-chan – his mother – she told me that he doesn't like hospitals and that it's better to keep him at home. How can she be so blasé about it? Those Kurobas are a bunch of idiots!"  
He didn't dare to disrupt her rant – he was buried in his own thoughts anyway. He had a certain suspicion about Kuroba-kun's real reason for refusing a hospital visit, but it wouldn't do any good to tell Nakamori-san about it. He didn't want to involve her in the whole Kaitou Kid affair anyway – not anymore. But her statement about the mother was very interesting. He didn't know much about Kuroba Chikage, only that she was in Nevada at the moment, for reasons unknown to him. Could it be that she knew about her son's double life? There was this interesting rumor about Phantom Lady being Kid's teacher, too …  
"-make the soup." Nakamori-san's voice disrupted his thoughts and brought him back to reality. He suddenly realized that she already stood in the doorway, on the verge of leaving the room. "Stay here for a while, will you? Just in case he wakes up or his fever rises."  
"What? But I don't-"  
She left the room and closed the door behind her without considering his half-finished objection.  
And just like that, he was trapped in the bedroom of his nemesis. Together with his unconscious nemesis. Oh, and three doves sitting on the curtain pole and staring hostilely and unblinkingly at him.  
Feeling more than just a little creeped, he let himself fall onto the swivel chair in front of Kuroba-kun's desk.  
This … was just _wrong._ Saguru didn't want to be here, never wanted to come in the first place.  
He was a rather distant person by nature and a bedroom was an extremely personal space – being here, with Kuroba-kun vulnerable like that, made him feel uneasy. Like an intruder, and the fact that he _knew_ _for sure_ that his classmate would not appreciate his presence made it even worse.  
With nothing else to do, he caught himself observing the room despite himself. It was surprisingly neat – a bit untidy, but clean, if one ignored the mess of lately used handkerchiefs scattered all over the bed. And although he tried to ignore it, his eyes were drawn to the painting of Kuroba-kun's father again and again; it almost felt like a magnetic pull.  
Kuroba Toichi … an excellent magician, one of the best that Japan had ever had. Maybe even the best of all – he could not gauge it, not really, but he knew that the late Kuroba-san had been popular even overseas. And yet he had died by a random beginner's mistake … if the records were correct, that is.  
An abrupt movement caught his attention: Kuroba-kun turned. Saguru almost hoped that he would wake up – it would certainly cause an unpleasant conversation, but everything was better than idling in this room any longer. His hopes were not fulfilled, however: Kuroba-kun remained unconscious. The movement had caused the blanked to slide from the bed, though. Saguru hesitated shortly and glanced at the doves to wordlessly ask for permission – which was ridiculous, if he thought about it – before he reached for the blanked. He bent over his classmate to tuck him in – and paused halfway between when he realized that Kuroba-kun was mumbling something. He automatically leaned forward to catch his words. It sounded like … Annola? He frowned, but held still otherwise, not even daring to breath. Annola? An … dola? Andora?  
 _Pandora._  
He released the blanked and backed off as if stung by an adder.  
Keeping his eyes glued on Kuroba-kun's moving mouth, he rattled through the facts he knew about the name: It was Greek, literally meaning "all gifts", though it was usually translated as "the gifted". As a figure from Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman created by Hephaistos, the one who opened the ominous box named after her and thus released all the evils of humanity.  
But what was the connection between Pandora and Kaitou Kid? Kuroba-kun was still mumbling the name, like a man possessed, but Saguru had no clue why.  
He sat down on the chair again, his mind still working frantically.  
 _I'll figure it out,_ he swore internally. He wasn't sure whether he swore it to himself or to Kuroba-kun – maybe to both of them – but he was bloody certain that he would figure it out one day, like anything else.  
He didn't know what he would do with the knowledge once he achieved it, but he could make up his mind about that later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is not implicitly a continuation of "Search" but it can be interpreted as such.  
> Kaito refused to go to the hospital because he has at least one scar form a bullet wound and therefore can't go to a doctor without causing dangerous questions. Saguru is aware of that (or is suspecting it, at least). Hence the change of his attitude towards Kaito(u Kid). Hooray for character development!


	42. # 32: Farewells

He listened to his own strained voice on the tape, to his inept apologies, to his monologue about Snake, the organization and Pandora.  
He erased the recording. And made a new one.  
"Hakuba, I need to ask you some favors: Don't try to figure out who killed me or why. Don't try to figure out why I became Kaitou Kid. Just leave the case alone, and live a normal, peaceful life. And take care of Aoko. Thank you."  
It was peculiar, really, how all of this began with his father's recording and how it would end now with his own.


	43. # 34: Formal

"Hello?"  
"Hi, Haku-chaaaaan~!"  
"Kuroba-kun, don't get me wrong: It's not that I don't appreciate your call, but it's four o'clock in the morning here, so I hope it's urgent!"  
"Whooops, my apologies! I _totally_ forgot about the time lag-"  
"Yes, and pigs might fly."  
"-and you must be really tired when you even refrain from naming the exact time down to minutes, seconds and milliseconds."  
"I did that on purpose because I didn't want to expose myself to ridicule. Why are you calling, Kuroba-kun?"  
"Wow, now I'm hurt, Haku-chan. Do I need a certain reason to call you? Can't I just do it because I miss you?"  
"You do?"  
"Nah, not really. Aoko misses you, though. I rather miss dyeing your hair."  
"How kind of you."  
"Yup! So, what's up? You haven't been here for months. What keeps you occupied in London?"  
"There is a certain case-"  
"Cases, cases, cases! Do you know what your problem is? You detectives are obsessed with cases!"  
"We detectives? You don't know other detectives beside me, do you?"  
"What? No, I don't. Geez, you must be _really_ tired – now you're even hallucinating! I never said something about other detectives."  
"Uh-huh ..."  
"Seriously, when we come to visit you next week you have to put back your cases and all, I don't feel like getting entangled in a homicide."  
"Wait- what?! You're going to visit me? And next week already?!"  
"Why, yes."  
"But, but ... why didn't you tell me that earlier?!"  
"Oi, be grateful that I told you anyway! Aoko wanted to surprise you! The trip was her idea, obviously. She wanted to see you again, I wanted to know whether all brits are as stiff and formal as you, Koizumi ... I don't know for sure why she's coming, but you'd better be careful, she's in her kinky mood again and might be searching for another sex slave-"  
"Pardon?!"  
"-and Keiko comes, too."  
"Uh-huh ..."  
"Oi, Hakuba, I have a question!"  
"Go on."  
"It's about the Buckingham Palace Guards. Is it true that they have to stand still the whole~ day and that they always have to keep a straight face?"  
"Well, yes. Why- oh bloody hell, no!"  
"So, no matter what I do, they won't react to it? Even if I, say, start a striptease-"  
*beep* *beep* *beep*  
"Hakuba? Oi, Hakuba! You're still with me? … Tss, he hung up on me. How rude."


	44. # 03: Memory

It was one of the very few times that she, Kuroba Chikage, the fabulous Phantom Lady, was near to tears. She couldn't see Kaito anymore. The little hellion has slipped out of her sight for just one second and now it was as if he'd vanished. She had known that her son was destined to become a troublemaker, but why did he have to start so frigging early?  
She let her eyes run over the fish market. A pitchman, some bargainers, a woman with sunglasses, a fat guy scratching his ass, some out of place looking tourists, some children playing soccer – but no Kaito.  
Dammit, where was her troublesome, cute, little, beloved son?  
An angry muttering caught her attention – "Shoot, those stupid cats had crawled into the dumpster again!" – and suddenly she knew.  
"Out of the way!" She rudely shoved some passers-by aside and spurted to the dumpster. Ignoring the scandalized gasps around her, she all but dived into the container and through the fish remains – and pulled out her wailing three-year-old boy.

"And that's why we have to cut fish from our diet for a while", she said.  
Toichi regarded the exhausted boy on his lap. "... I see."


	45. # 18: Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers! (chapters 828 – 830)

_Damn, I should've known that a heist containing an aquarium of all things wouldn't end nice for me,_ Kid mused while gliding away. _I couldn't steal anything, I confused a girl with a guy – what a terrible faux pas! – got beaten up by said girl and I never got the chance to talk with Tantei-kun about his little alcohol problem ... Well, I guess I just have to wait another 100 chapters or so till I get screen time again._

"Damn, Sera-san was so lucky," Sonoko lamented. "She was tasered by Kid-sama! I never got the chance to get so close-"  
She froze. Everyone eyed her suspiciously. When she started squealing, Conan backed away from her – her voice was so shrill! "I touched Kid-sama! No, that's not the right word! I _groped_ Kid-sama! When we did the body check I actually groped Kid-sama! Wheeeeee! I am sooooo lucky! My dream came true! I'll never wash my hands again! I can die happily now!"  
Conan sweat dropped. _Oi, oi, don't jinx yourself, girl ...  
_ He didn't like Sonoko, but she was a good friend for Ran and he suspected that he would be _a little_ sad too if she died ...


	46. # 04: Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers!

A bomb – that was his first thought when he saw the suspicious package in his letterbox.  
He did some checkup but his suspicions weren't confirmed: Whatever the content of this package was, it wasn't dangerous. So he opened it – he was a detective, after all, and therefore curious by nature.  
What he'd firstly considered as a bomb turned out to be a small multicolored box, apparently filled with some advertising material ...

"Good evening, Amuro-san. I know you took the week off but two of your colleagues caught the flu. So I wondered if you could step in ...?"  
"I'm afraid I can't help you out, Azusa-san. I'm very busy at the moment."  
"Oh ... I see. Well, it was worth a try. Sorry for the interruption."  
"No problem. I'll see you next week then!"  
"Okay, have a nice day!"

Amuro looked in the mirror, frowning. Who the hell did this prank to him? And why? He didn't know anyone who would do something like that, not even Vermouth – her humor was more morbid than that. Still frowning, he twirled a purple dyed strand around his finger.  
... Maybe it was just a random childish prank and he was overthinking things.


	47. # 14: Music

"Saguru-kun. Saguru-kun …"  
A hand shook his shoulder gently and Saguru jerked his head up, startled and alerted.  
His grandfather watched him quizzically. "Is everything alright?"  
"Oh …" Stalling some time to orientate himself, he absently ran a hand through his hair to smooth it and rearranged his clothes. Then he smiled. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry that I worried you, Ojii-san. I must have dozed off shortly."  
"Yes, I've seen that," his grandfather answered, a hint of amusement in his voice. "It looked pretty uncomfortable, bent over the desk and keyboard like that. That's why I decided to wake you."  
"Thank you," Saguru murmured in slight embarrassment. Glancing at the wall clock he learned that it was merely 21:56 PM – normally he didn't fall asleep during work, at least not that early, but he hadn't had any sleep last night and worked all day through.  
His grandfather regarded him with an unconcealed frown. "Are you sure that you're fine, boya? I can instruct Baya to make some tea, if you want…?"  
"Ah, no!" Saguru shook his head, smiling again. "That's not necessary. Thanks again for letting me use your laboratory."  
He chuckled silently. "No need to thank me. But I take that as a hint; you want to continue your work, don't you?" Saguru smiled guiltily – his grandfather knew him all too well.  
"Well then, I won't disrupt you any longer. Good night, Saguru-kun – and don't overexert yourself!" He went off, typing a number on his mobile phone.  
Saguru waited until his grandfather was gone before he looked at the computer screen in front of him. His unplanned nap had one advantage, at least: The computer had finished the data collation in the meantime, so he'd shortened the grueling waiting time a bit.  
When he reached for the computer mouse to open the files and read the results, he suddenly hesitated.  
This was it. The answer to the question that caused him headaches for days now. He'd been so eager to figure out the truth, but now that he had it right in front of him, he feared that he wouldn't be able to handle it once it was revealed.  
His behavior was ridiculous, really. He was a detective, after all. It was his vocation to uncover the truth and therefore he also needed to be man enough to face the consequences. It was too late to back down anyway. He knew for sure that this whole affair wouldn't stop bugging him.  
With an enervated huff, he opened the file, unconsciously holding his breath.  
He read the result and once more ran his hand through his hair, this time out of tension.  
 _A_ _one_ _hundred_ _percent match._ The DNA sample, which he had taken from Edogawa-kun, matched Kudo Shinichi's DNA perfectly.  
… He didn't know what to feel about this. Triumph, maybe, because his deduction was proved to be right? Satisfaction?  
Well, maybe there was indeed some satisfaction, but this feeling was overshadowed by anxiety and fatigue.  
Because now that he knew the answer to one question, more questions came to strain him, disturbing questions like _"How?"_ and _"Why?"_ And there was still the other matter …  
Saguru opened the other file. Once he saw the result, he started pinching the bridge of the nose.  
 _98,6 percent._ Kudo Shinichi's DNA was almost identical to Kuroba-kun's. God, he was tired, almost abnormally tired. _Somehow_ Kudo Shinichi has been turned into a seven-year-old kid, and _somehow,_ he was also Kuroba-kun's twin – Saguru couldn't decide what aspect unsettled him more.  
A sudden, very intense twinge of dread swamped over him. Whatever he had discovered here, it was big, it was confusing, and it was dangerous. Dangerous enough to drive Edoga- to drive _Kudo_ near to panic. He'd seen the haunted look in the other's eyes when he'd noticed Saguru's scrutinizing glances.  
On a whim, Saguru deleted the data. Perhaps his reaction was inappropriate and exaggerative, but it didn't do any harm. He was perfectly able to memorize it. And he instantly felt the invisible burden on his shoulders decreasing a little.  
Now he just had to decide what he would do next.  
Well, confronting Kuroba-kun was out of question. As far as he knew, his classmate had no idea about this whole twin thing. It was possible that he knew about Edogawa-kun's true identity, but neither Kid nor Kudo behaved too intimate towards each other. There was a certain degree of sympathy, Saguru had noticed that much, but it had its limits. And Kudo didn't seem to know Kuroba-kun's civil identity at all.  
No, Saguru wasn't the right person to tell his classmate about his … brother, Kuroba-kun didn't trust him enough. Maybe he never would. They were stuck it their roles as detective and thief, so it seemed.  
Should he confront Kudo, then? … Maybe, but not immediately. Kudo didn't trust him as well, it was not unlikely that he even considered him as a threat. And Saguru had no clues about the consequences that such a revelation would cause.  
No, it was better to keep silence for now. He would keep an eye on those two, do some more, discreet investigations, until he could assess the situation better … and then decide what to do with his knowledge.  
Satisfied with his decision, he turned off the computer, stifling a yawn. 22:38 PM. Perhaps he should go to sleep now ...

He couldn't sleep despite his exhaustion. There was still something that bothered him, he just couldn't put his finger on it … and the melody of _Nanatsu no Ko_ that played in his head in an endless loop didn't help, it disrupted his concentration.  
Why was he plagued by this stupid ear worm anyway?  
… Must be because of those numbers that his grandfather had typed on his mobile earlier. Somehow the tune had sounded similar to _Nanatsu no Ko_.  
How odd.


	48. # 45: Eclipse

Kudo smirked. It increased Kaito's desire to vomit; it looked so _wrong.  
_ "When did you figure it out?" Kudo asked. He slightly swayed the gun that was pointed at Kaito to emphasize the question.  
Kaito ignored the blood that welled into his right eye and blurred his vision. "Yesterday. I finally found the key to decode my father's last message. It said 'Kudo Yuusaku is Anokata' and suddenly many things made much more sense to me. I already suspected you to work against me, but I doubted that you're one of them. I thought you just want Pandora for yourself to heal Ran. Did you kill Hakuba?"  
"Yes. It was necessary." There was no hint of remorse, and no hint of satisfaction either.  
"Like it's necessary to kill me now?"  
"Well, yes. It wouldn't be that way if you weren't such a stubborn idealistic idiot. The organization had some interest in recruiting you, after all. Unfortunately, it was quite obvious from the beginning that any attempt to recruit you would be fruitless."  
Kudo cocked the gun.  
"Don't do it!", Kaito said.  
Kudo raised an eyebrow.  
"I know you don't want that. I talked to Sherry; she told me you planned to flee once-"  
"That was three years ago. Many things happened since then-"  
"It doesn't have to be like this," Kaito continued, undeterred. "I can help you. Just don't-"  
"Stop babbling nonsense, _Kaito._ It's beneath you."  
Kaito caught a glimpse of a raw pained expression, before Kudo pulled the trigger. A loud shot bursted through the night and Kudo fell to the ground, coughing and spluttering, eyes wide in disbelief-  
Kaito sighed, too drained to feel anything more than exhaustion. "I manipulated the gun. I've hoped that I could talk you out of it. Looks like I was too naive."


	49. # 33: World

_They are approaching_   
_The harbingers of destiny_   
_Two men bound by fate_   
_A bond so strong it's mirroring in their faces_

_They'll oppose each other_   
_And regard each other as enemies_   
_But they'll also complete each other_   
_Both engulfed in lies, both searching for answers_   
_Both striving for justice_

_They'll gain the key to immortality_   
_And may spark the light dispelling the shadows_   
_But only together, only as fellows_

_So it's up to them to look beneath the surface_   
_If they fail to conquer the walls they've built_   
_Their deeds will lead us all to destruction_   
_Against their will_


	50. # 36: Laugh

"So," Kaito drawled. „That's the end, isn't it? We've brought down the organizations, I've destroyed Pandora and Haibara-chan has developed the ultimate antidote. My job is done, Kaitou Kid can retire for good. And Kudo and Akai don't need to hide any longer. We're finally free!"  
"Yeah, we don't need ta worry about bein' killed every minute by a random agent!" Hattori said. "That's awesome, isn't it?"  
Murmur of approval.  
"And I don't need to act as a child anymore!" Kudo added.  
More murmur of approval.  
"We should celebrate this properly," Sera suggested, frowning slightly. "Hey, I've got it!" She beamed. "Let's go on holiday together! A nice relaxing vacation without any gruesome murder cases."  
"And gun fights!" Kaito added.  
"And bombings!" Kudo added.  
And suddenly, everyone had something to get off their chest:  
"And hijackings!"  
"And poisonings!"  
"And pursuits!"  
"And car crashes!"  
"And robots!"  
"And amusement parks!"  
"And natural disasters!"  
Lapsing into silence, they shared some awkward looks.  
Eventually, Kudo broke the silence, wearing a slightly disgusted expression. "Uh … that sounds pretty boring!"  
Everyone burst into consentaneous laughter … well, everyone except Hakuba, who pinched the bridge of his nose mumbling "I'm surrounded by idiots!"


End file.
